Wrapping Room :: Blog

Why We Wrap Gifts

Gift wrapping is an ancient custom that can be traced back to ancient China. Its purpose was symbolic rather than decorative, and the manor in which presents were wrapped implied special messages. Different wrapping traditions were used for different occasions.

In Japan Tsutsumi was a traditional gift wrapping art. Here the wrapping was more important than the present. The traditional wrapping material was a combination of printed cloths and paper. Unwrapping the present was as much a part of the tradition as was the wrapping.

Another Japanese form of gift wrapping is Furoshiki. A Furoshiki is a piece of fabric, traditionally fine silk or cotton, but in modern times man made materials are often used. The gift is wrapped in this single piece of cloth using a variety of special folds and knots that are meant to convey specific messages. In Japan wrapping a gift is symbolic of wrapping one’s heart.

In the Western world gift wrapping did not become popular until the sixteenth century, and it was described as ‘dressing’ a gift. Initially it was exclusively an activity of the upper classes. It did not become popular generally until the early nineteen hundreds when coloured tissues were used. Printed wrapping paper was not introduced until the end of the First World War.

Although in the West gift wrapping has never shared the deep traditions one encounters in the East, a well wrapped gift does achieve many things. It says something about the care the giver has taken in wrapping the gift, it extends the period of excitement and anticipation, and it allows the giver and the receiver to engage together in an unwrapping ritual in which they can share a mutual pleasure.

The way to wrap a gift is to bear in mind the above and to remember that the unwrapping is as important as the wrapping.

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